Was I Wrong to Freak Out?

[herfrds]

How old is this horse?
I had mine cut at 6 months of age because he caught me from behind and knocked me down a hill.
A round pen and a long whip took care of the attitude problem fast. No problems since.

If this is a stud older then a year he will still act like he is a stud even after being cut. Seen it before.
This owner needs to step up and quit expecting others to take the blame for her having an aggressive horse.
This issue needs to addressed now and not after someone gets hurt. The owners of the stable need to figure this is warning number 1 and if the horse does it again they get booted out, because they can be held liable for that horse hurting someone.

 

[welsummerchicks]

--Yes, yes there are those people around who are loudly telling everyone how mean their stud is, and taking studs to shows without preparing them properly. Some people get a thrill out of telling others lurid stories about stallions. It's kind of a person's way of being a bully, basically.

--The majority have well mannered stallions and show them, take them to clinics, handle them with complete safety, put their infants up on them for the lead line class, and don't have problems. The shows I go to, there are stallions all over the place, big ones, acting like perfect gentlemen. All the time. With kids riding them, with old ladies riding them.

--Most stallions are like that.

--IF they're not, they should be put down. Someone knowingly keeps a bad stallion around to make a few bucks off breeding him, well, that's how some people are. That's not how every stallion owner is.

--The stallion was loose in the arena, he wasn't really loose on the property, was he? You went in to get your brush, and didn't see he was loose in the arena, and he ran over to you. You waved your arms and he ran off.

--My guess is that the owner spent a lot of time 'playing' with him in the arena, teaching him to do stupid, dangerous stuff, chase her around and 'play' with her.

--I've seen people do it. They teach their horses bad habits.

I told the owners of the barn and they spoke with her about it. I know she is ticked as heck at me over it...

--I would just leave it alone and not say anything about it. It sounds like it scared you half to death and you might have over-reacted maybe a little. But that happens. No one should hold it against you.

--The owner of the horse doesn't owe you an apology, unless she actually turned the horse loose on the property and wandered away. It would be a little more commonsense if people stuck around when they turned their horse out, but they don't always.

-- You don't owe anyone an apology either - you got scared half to death and you could have gotten bumped or pushed over.

--Some barns have rules that no one can turn out in the arenas. That ends a lot of these incidents and things go an awful lot smoother if the owner can see his/her way to do that.

-- If there's a rule is posted prominently and the owner still did it, she owes the farm owner and you an apology. One place I boarded, there was a 25 dollar fine for every time someone turned a horse out in the arena. It was not allowed.

--There was one gal who still did it. She would try to sneak in and do it when there weren't many people around. She did get mad at those who tattled on her. Well no matter, she was always walking around looking like a sourpuss anyway.

--I think being afraid of studs, it probably scared you half to death.

--But I would bet you lunch at a real nice place, that the woman played with him in the arena and taught him to act like that.

-- And I'd like you to know that most stallions are well trained, act like gentlemen in public, and have responsible, sensible owners.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

See, I've seen several studs that were very nice to be around, even during breeding. Then I've seen the good ones that turn bad FAST when a mare in heat comes up.

There are mares on the property, mares in with the geldings. The stud is locked in a stall. When I'm feeding, I let Max out to eat in the arena, it's NOT large at all and not well lit, but a big yellow horse is much easier to see than a bay horse in bad lighting. Plus...Max doesn't run. For anything. If your horse is a well-mannered and "safe" horse, they should be allowed to be turned out in the arena with supervision. Cleaning out the stall with your back turned...doesn't say supervision to me.

From my understanding, he's 3 years old and is sterile. She told me he had been "out on the range". I must say...she's done alot with him, she's riding him and everything...I wonder if it was just me he decided to do that to.

In my defense, I didn't turn my back...I kept him in front of me at all times. I remember that safety lesson from dogs!

 

[Haviris]

Just a note, it is not true that the horse will not act like a gelding, gelding after a year, I have rarely gelded before a year, and normally around 2. It just depends on his training and how he's been kept (if he's been isolated from other horses he may be to poorly socialized to live in a herd) how he'll be after. My dad's horse was a stud til he was 9, he's 11 now, he likes to talk to the ladies still, but so does my brother in law's gelding (that was gelded at 5 months), and actually most geldings I know do. We went riding today and my mare is in full blown heat and was flirting up a storm, but Sockett behaved just fine as always.

 

[spectrumranch]

I agree with most of what welsummer said!

I do think you over reacted. We currently have breeding stallions and have had several in the past. And as a previous barn owner with outside boarders- I would have said "look before entering the arena"

Could you possibly institute a new rule at the barn which states you have to put a sign on the gate for loose horse, or hook a halter or lead rope to it so people know a horse is in there loose?

Why not just look before entering?

If this is a stud older then a year he will still act like he is a stud even after being cut. Seen it before.

True for a small percentage of horses.

This owner needs to step up and quit expecting others to take the blame for her having an aggressive horse.

I must have missed something, I didn't read how the owner was blaming anyone else.

this stud should have been tethered.
Plain and simple - Point blank.

Keeping a horse in a box stall or tethered 24/7 should be illegal. The longer a horse is kept in a box stall the more engery he needs to burn off when turned out.

I HAVE dealt with stallions that would kill you if given the chance. I think if this horse really wanted to hurt you- he would have, yelling and waving arms won't stop a stud that is out for a piece of you.

That lady needs to get a better handle on that horse..or something!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I must say...she's done alot with him, she's riding him and everything...

Sounds like she doesn't have a problem with him.

I agree gelding is probably a good choice, more horses should be. I don't think a horse or the owner should be condemned from the few details offered.

This is a good reminder of why I no longer have/want outside boarders (aka- horse owner daycare)​

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

spectrum, I did look before entering, but when going from the bright sunshine to the darker arena, my eyes hadn't adjusted to seeing inside of the barn.

 

[welsummerchicks]

Well, at most boarding barns, you have to look very carefully in the indoor arena, unless they have a rule that horses can't be turned out in it (even then, if the manager ain't around!!!) there is quite likely to be a horse turned out in it. I didn't see one once and I learned my lesson at that time.

But just because you got scared, I don't think that gives anyone a reason to bug you about it or tease you. People can't help it if something scares them. They deserve sympathy and kindness, not being made fun of.

I really would challenge your notion of stallions though, 'they're fine as long as they are far far away from me', I think that's operating under an unnecessary level of anxiety.

He ran over to you, that doesn't mean he is nasty. He's a new horse, that doesn't mean he's dangerous. She does things a little different from you, that doesn't mean she's totally clueless. She's riding a young colt and enjoying it, she must know something.

All of mine that people have played with, will run over to you if they are turned out and you walk out into their paddock and have to be reminded to take it easy. It is just youthful exhuberance. If your horse does not run when he gets turned out, I'd say he's an unusually quiet horse. Many horses will tear around a paddock or arena like to kill themselves. Fun fun fun!

One person it will scare to death and they will swear they are being 'charged by a dangerous animal', the next person will be, 'hey, Sparky loves me, look how he ran up'.

One thing to keep in mind is that a stallion that has been stood at stud for years, is very, very different from one that is a colt and has never bred a mare. He knows the drill, and depending on how well he was trained, that's how he is going to act. The youngsters, before they earn their keep, act almost like geldings their age.

And of course, gelding a horse doesn't always make them totally unaware. I've had a couple geldings who were very nickery and talky to mares and could at times act just like a stallion. One retired to be used as a teaser at a breeding farm. Total gentlemen and very, very good teaser.

Most stallions, I would not stand them nose to rump with an unsaddled mare in heat, they would think it was time to earn their keep. But most stallions learn pretty easily when to earn their keep. Some people use a different halter or bridle when they want the stallion to work from when it's just being ridden, and they know the difference.

 

[twentynine]

Freaking out is never a good reaction.

However, I do believe that a possibly dangerous animal, should be under control at all times.

I not a very "horsey" person, but in the situation you described, I think I would have had to go home and change my draws.

 

[babyblue]

Quote:
different bridle and specific place even. that way the stud knows he only gets bred when and where and by who is holding him. but as far as studs go the only nasty ones I have had to deal with were thoroughbred studs still on the track. where very few of the horses, male or female had any manners or training beyond run forward. the Qh, morgan and Tw studs I have been around have honestly all been trained and were lovely horses. to the point where the boys go into the boys pasture and the girls go in the girls pasture irregardless of who was gelded or not. my own Qh gelding was only gelded because he had the attention span of a gnat when a mare in heat was around, never crazy or wild, just acted like he had horsey add. once gelded he could pay attention better and keep focused better.

I hate how studs are so often treated like an alien being instead of a horse. my friends as soon as a colt is weaned he goes out with his dad, grows up a little and gets bigger and then goes out with all his brothers too. learns to be a horse, play without being an ass and gets exercise instead of being cooped up and getting hyper crazy. fast forward a few years and there may be 3-4 studs, my gelding and 2-3 mares out for a trail ride and wonder of wonders everybody behaves and has a good time.

 

[Kansaseq]

What if she saw the horse in the arean,but thought it was a different, 'safe' horse? What if it was a child that entered the arena, and they were hurt by this stud? No one would be saying 'you should have been more careful'. The responsibility lies with the owner of the stud and the barn owner. Both need to ensure that type of situation doesn't happen again.
At a boarding facility, one has a reasonable expectation that they will NOT be charged and trampled by a boarder. This horse needs to be handled in such a manner that he does not pose a threat to anyone.